For the second fixture in a row the Doonhamers were forced to kick-off late due to traffic problems holding up players, officials and fans – this time due to a diesel spill.

Queens’ promotion hopes have hit a bit of an oil slick in the past week after two straight league defeats.

For the second fixture in a row the Doonhamers were forced to kick-off late due to traffic problems holding up players, officials and fans – this time due to a diesel spill.

In
fact, their match at Raith Rovers on Tuesday evening very nearly didn’t
happen and when it did get under way at 8.15pm everyone connected with Queen of the South wished it hadn’t.

Two
goals down inside 10 minutes, the visitors did manage to rally at Stark’s Park thanks to a Mark Durnan double. But a late sucker punch from John Baird left Jim McIntyre’s side stuck on 48 points level with Dumbarton ahead of their “crucial” league clash at The Rock tomorrow.

The
Queens boss said: “I’ve always said it will go down to the wire, it is crucial but the game at Raith was just as crucial for me.

“It
was a chance to take three points and go ahead of Dumbarton, but whatever the result is on Saturday that won’t decide it either as we’ve both got a couple of hard games left. It’s important but it’s not going to decide anything.”

Traffic
problems on the Forth Road Bridge hampered Queens’ preparations for their re-arranged Championship game against the team that replaced them as Ramsdens Cup holders.

A
diesel spillage on the north-bound carriageway led to long tailbacks leaving some players and several supporters stuck for up to two hours.

Due
to the problems, the sides agreed to delay kick-off for half an hour, but it took Queens a bit longer to find their feet and a slow start left
them trailing and with a mountain to climb after some sloppy defending allowed Grant Murray’s side to grab a two-goal lead within six minutes.

The
first came with just three minutes gone, John Baird setting up Joe Cardle by laying the ball out to the fans’ favourite on his left and he quickly fired a low right foot shot past Zander Clark from 19 yards.

Defender
Paul Watson extended their advantage a short time later, his angled drive sneaking under Clark as Queens failed to clear their lines.

With
the home side looking comfortable, Baird was unlucky not to make it three as he got the better of centre back Durnan and rattled the base of
the post with his effort.

It
was a let-off for Queens and they started to come more into the game. As they finished the first half strongly, an unlikely double from Durnan pulled them level.

The
big defender’s first came nine minutes before the break as he got on the end of Chris Mitchell’s free kick to send a close range header past former Queens favourite Lee Robinson.

His second came on the stroke of half time in the shape of another powerful header – this time steering home a Mitchell corner.

Part two of the game was a scrappy affair. Mitchell did clear one off the line early on to deny Reece Donaldson but with neither keeper having
much to do the game looked like it would end all square until 10 minutes from time. The home side hit on the counter attack and John Baird side-footed home the winner for Raith who had Donaldson red-carded
for a second booking two minutes later.

It
was apparent that the delayed fixture, the second in a row for Queens who also kicked off late on Saturday in their defeat at home to Falkirk,
hadn’t helped the Queens side, upsetting their normal routine. But boss
McIntyre wasn’t prepared to use the traffic situation as an excuse.

He said: “The way we started isn’t the way you want to start any game, 2-0 down in the opening six minutes.

“Obviously
the preparation wasn’t helped with the boys being stuck in the traffic for a couple of hours but I’m not using that as an excuse because they still had the same half hour warm-up time. The goals we gave away were just poor defending.

“Credit
to them though, they responded brilliantly and got a couple of great goals to get themselves right back in it. Half time came a bit soon for
us, but we said more of the same second half but scrappy is the best way to describe it with neither team troubling the goalkeeper.

“We
should’ve been braver at the third goal. Gavin (Reilly) should have been taking the man on, he’s been great recently but I’m looking for him
to be braver.

“After a great opportunity for ourselves, Raith go up the park and score and we find ourselves behind.

“They were what we weren’t and that’s ruthless.”

Central defender Durnan was left disappointed that his goalscoring contribution led to nothing.

He
said: “We’ve had a poor start and we’ve conceded two poor goals - there
are no excuses we were sloppy and gifted two goals but we did so well to get back into the game and at half time we knew we had to go out and get a winner. But we didn’t do that and we’re just disappointed to lose.